For those who use vehicles as means of transportation for work, leisure, or the like, information to ensure efficient driving (for example, information about fuel costs) is useful. Particularly for transport companies and the like having many commercial vehicles, the efficiency in driving, which will have impacts on costs and customer confidence, is a critical issue. The efficient driving means, for example, the driving requiring less fuel costs, causing no damage to the vehicle and goods loaded, and no traffic accident.
To achieve such an efficient driving, driving information is collected from vehicles after driving and analyzed for use in future driving.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first example of a known driving information providing system intended for such use as described above. Referring to FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle, reference numeral 2 denotes a vehicle controller, reference numeral 3 denotes a predetermined data storage, reference numerals 20 and 21 denote connectors, reference numeral 22 denotes a cable, and reference numeral 23 denotes a notebook computer.
The vehicle controller 2 is a controller for controlling the driving of the vehicle 1. Together with various detection signals (for example, engine-revolution detection signals and vehicle-speed detection signals) from each part of the vehicle, operation signals from the driver (for example, acceleration operation signals, brake operation signals, and gearshift operation signals) are inputted into the vehicle controller 2. Based on these signals, various control signals (for example, fuel-injection control signals and gearshift control signals) are generated and outputted from the vehicle controller 2 to each part of the vehicle.
The predetermined data storage 3 is a storage device for selecting, as appropriate, data that are assumed to be associated with efficient driving (predetermined data) from data appearing in the vehicle controller 2, and recording the selected data. The connector 20 is a connector connected to the predetermined data storage 3.
Data (driving information) stored in the predetermined data storage 3 is collected as described below. That is, a staff member at an intermediary agent (for example, a vehicle dealer) for a data analysis center brings the notebook computer 23 to the vehicle 1, inserts the connector 21 for the cable 22 into the connector 20 for the vehicle to make connection with the predetermined data storage 3, extracts the data therefrom into the notebook computer 23, thereby collecting the data.
The staff member then brings the notebook computer 23 back to the intermediary agent, sends the collected data to the data analysis center, thereby having the driving information analyzed by the center.
In a second example of a known driving information providing system, removable memory cards prepared for each driver are collected to analyze driving information.
In this case, a driver inserts his/her own memory card into a predetermined vehicle-mounted unit at the beginning of vehicle driving to record data during the driving. On completion of the driving, the driver pulls out the memory card, inserts the memory card into a dedicated computer in a service office, such as a garage, to have the data read and analyzed by the computer.
A first problem with the first known example described above is that the collection of driving information requires time and effort, and a second problem is that driving information for each driver cannot be obtained.
A problem with the second known example described above is an increased cost, since a dedicated device for preparing a memory card for each driver and reading the memory card needs to be set up in each service office.
The first problem with the first known example will now be described. In this example, a staff member for collection goes to each vehicle and connects a notebook computer thereto for collecting data. Since dedicated personnel are required and it takes as long as 20 to 30 minutes per vehicle, time and effort are involved in collecting data.
The second problem with the first known example will now be described. Drivers of the same vehicle may vary from day to day, or may change during a single day. However, while driving information for each vehicle can be obtained, driving information for each driver cannot be obtained. Although transport companies and others often request for the analysis of driving information for each driver so that individual evaluation and instruction can be made, this example cannot meet such a request.
Finally, the problem with the second known example will be described. The dedicated device for writing and reading to and from a memory card for each driver is relatively expensive (for example, several hundreds of thousands of yen per device). Since the cost of installation at each service office and the cost of appropriate maintenance after the installation are required, the dedicated device in the second known example is considerably expensive.
The present invention aims to solve the problems described above.